Help! My cat won't use the litter box consistently - any tips?

Hey everyone, I'm at my wit's end with my 2-year-old tabby, Mochi. She's mostly indoor but I've been trying to leash train her for short backyard adventures. Problem is, now she's having accidents outside the litter box - sometimes right after we come inside! I've tried different litters, moved the box location, nothing works consistently. Has anyone dealt with this before? Is it the leash training stressing her out?

Ugh, I feel your pain. My Persian, Mr. Whiskers, is SO fussy about his litter. If it's not perfectly clean, he'll go on the bathmat instead. Have you tried a larger litter box? Sometimes they don't like feeling cramped. Also, what kind of litter are you using? Mr. Whiskers will only use the unscented clumping kind - anything else and he protests.

Interesting! My bearded dragon has similar territory issues when I handle him too much. Maybe your cat is marking because the leash training makes her feel insecure? With reptiles, we use positive reinforcement with treats. Have you tried giving treats right after she uses the litter box properly? Just a thought from the reptile side of things!

Thanks for the ideas! @DobermanDan130 I'm using clumping litter but it IS scented - maybe I'll try unscented. The box is pretty big already though. @PugPatty680 That's a good point about treats! I've been so focused on the leash training rewards that I didn't think to reward the litter box use. Maybe I need to make the litter box more appealing than my clean laundry...